Concerts

Songs For Groovy Children assembles all four historic debut concerts by Jimi Hendrix’s newly assembled Band of Gypsys at New York’s Fillmore East on New Years Eve 1969 and New Years Day 1970. Presented in their original performance sequence and encompassing 43 tracks across 5 CDs or 8LPs, the set boasts over two dozen tracks that have either never before been released commercially or have been newly remixed plus the full extended versions of songs originally released on the 1970 Band of Gypsys album. Measured alongside his triumphs at Monterey Pop and Woodstock, Hendrix’s legendary Fillmore East concerts illustrated a critical turning point in a radiant career filled with indefinite possibilities. Earlier in 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience had closed a musical chapter and the guitarist assembled a new trio dubbed Band of Gypsys, consisting of Hendrix, his longtime friend Billy Cox, on bass, whom he had befriended when both were serving with the 101st Airborne Division Cox and Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles, who would also contribute occasional lead vocals.

This release contains Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ complete recordings from their first Japanese tour in 1961. These consist of two sets, one recorded live at Sankei Hall in Tokyo, and a posterior TV show performed in the same city the following week. Both sets feature an amazing lineup, with the leader on drums, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymmie Merritt on bass.

John McLaughlin - Montreux Concerts (2003) {17CD Box Set Warner Bros Switzerland 50-50466-9701-21 rec 1974-99}
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© 1974-99, 2003 Warner Bros Switzerland / Montreux Sounds | 50-50466-9701-21
Jazz / Fusion / Post Bop / World / Guitar

John McLaughlin Montreux Concerts Box Set contains a bounty of 17 CDs from the acclaimed jazz guitarist's all-star performances at the famous Swiss jazz festival, including performances with Carlos Santana, Paco De Lucia and his Mahavishnu Orchestra. This monumental compilation features all the artist's concerts at the Montreaux Jazz Festival spanning the years 1974 through 1999. Featuring Shakti in July 1976 & 1977 (three discs), John McLaughlin & The One Truth Band in July 1978, John McLaughlin & Chick Corea in July 1981, Mahavishnu Orchestra in July 1984 (two discs), John McLaughlin & Paco DeLucia in July 1987 (two discs), John McLaughlin & The Free Spirits in July 1993 & 1995 (three discs), John McLaughlin & The Heart Of Things in July 1998, & John McLaughlin & Remember Shakti in July 1999.

This is an eight-CD set more for Duke Ellington fanatics than for general listeners. Originally, some of the music came out as a two-LP set (Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur) and a single album (Ellington's Soul Call), but the great majority of the material was previously unreleased when this box came out in 1998.

With the season 2005/06 Deutsche Grammophon launched its visionary initiative for recording and releasing orchestral concert performances - the DG Concerts series collaborates with some of the best orchestras around the globe, making their most acclaimed concert performances available to music lovers worldwide via digital download.

Max Roach and Cecil Taylor - Historic Concerts (1979) {Soul Note 121 100/1 -2 rel 1984}
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© 1979, 1984 Soul Note | 121 100/1 -2
Jazz / Post-Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano / Drums

Drummer Max Roach met up with the intense avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor for a 1979 concert that resulted in this double CD. After Roach and Taylor play separate five-minute solos (Taylor's is surprisingly melodic and bluesy), they interact during a two-part 78-minute encounter that finds Roach not shy of occasionally taking control. The passionate music is quite atonal but coherent, with Taylor displaying an impressive amount of energy and the two masters (who had not rehearsed or ever played together before) communicating pretty well. This set is weakened a bit by a 17-minute radio interview that includes excerpts from the concert one just heard, although some of the anecdotes are interesting. No revelations really occur in the music, but it certainly holds one's interest.

Another DVD of Ange from Musea, but this time more inclined towards the older fans of the band. Indeed as the title suggests this deal with the glorious 70's "concerts" (two of them) and the more "iffy" 80's performances. As you'd expect with such a wide time lapse, there is a vast variety of line-ups, with the only common players the Descamps brothers…

Gentle Giant - Out Of The Fire, The BBC Concerts (1973-1978) {2CD Set, Hux Records HUX008 rel 1998}
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© 1973-78, 1998 Hux Records | HUX008
Rock / Art Rock / Prog Rock

This 2-CD set contains two BBC live concerts from 1973 and 1978. The 1973 concert is previously unreleased. The 1978 concert is the same one released as In Concert (BBC Radio 1), but it is complete (including Funny Ways) and has the songs in the right order. I find the sound quality very good like most of the BBC recordings. Maybe a little bit dry, but that fits quiet well with GG.

Couperin’s four concerts royaux were published in 1722 as in a supplement to his third anthology of harpsichord pieces. They sound like a twilight tribute to Sun King’s reign. The score doesn’t mention any instrument but we know the musician envisaged them as ensemble pieces for a mixed consort of instruments. And that was how they were performed at the Sunday concerts at Versailles organized by Mme de Maintenon for Louis XIV between 1714 and 1715.